GROUP AGAINST IMPROPER DISPOSAL OF FLUORESCENT LAMPS

A toxics watch group on Sunday warned people against the improper disposal of mercury-containing fluorescent lamps especially in schools saying that the improper disposal can cause breakage to the lamps and could cause chemical contamination in the area. The EcoWaste Coalition issued this reminder after the group visited 10 public schools in the city of Manila for this year’s Brigada Eskwela. The said that they found and saw dozens of busted fluorescent lamps that were thrown into mixed garbage bins or were just left in school corridors. “We appeal to the public to exercise essential precautions when installing new lamps and discarding busted ones to avoid breakage that will let the elemental mercury vapor to escape from the lamp and contaminate the surroundings,” EcoWaste Coalition’s Project Protect Coordinator Thony Dizon said.